Magic Surrender

By Linda Lee Rathbun

When Aegina returns to her childhood home on Lord Howe Island for a break from the world at large, she realizes that her restless quest for happiness is pointless since she can never be as happy anywhere else as she is on her little island. But then, perhaps the quest was not for a place, but for a person.
When Iain arrives on Lord Howe Island in search of the one thing he thinks will make him happy, he discovers not only the man hiding within, but a woman who understands him better than he understands himself. Can he surrender himself to another, or has life hardened his heart too much for that?
If ever a place could cast a magic spell, it is Lord Howe Island far off the New South Wales coast of Australia. But for magic to work, one must give oneself up to it. Sometimes, in that much larger world, that seems like the hardest thing of all to do.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Lee Rathbun
• Release date: Dec 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465815293

Linda Lee Rathbun

I am a dual citizen of the United States and Australia. I recently returned to the States after many years in Australia with my husband, Steve. Steve is a photographer, and together, we have had over 200 articles published in magazines worldwide. We have also had four 4WD touring guides to Australia published by Universal Publishers.Natural Wanders in Australia is a travel memoir based on a tour we did in 2000. For the photo album of this memoir, and for more information about my travel writing, please visit my website at www.lindaleerathbuncom-.Tjuringa was my first suspense novel; it was born from my travels in Australia's Outback, and from my strong attraction to Australia's Aboriginal people.When traveling, I love to find wonderful settings for my novels, such as Lamington National Park where my romance novel, Emerald Destiny is set, Lord Howe Island where Magic Surrender is set, and Melbourne where A Twist of Fate is set. Romances are fun to write since this genre is such a contrast to travel writing where so much nitty gritty information is required.I hope my writing expresses my love of nature in general, and of Australia in particular.Thank you.

Book preview

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Magic Surrender

by

Linda Lee Rathbun

Copyright Linda Lee Rathbun, 2011

2nd Edition

All rights reserved

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Published by Natural Wanders at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Statement:

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, to events, or locals is entirely coincidental.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

For Margie,

who has such a good heart, and who would love Lord Howe Island.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Extra Material

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Chapter One

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Gina beamed widely at the man who was turning around in the copilot’s seat of the plane’s cockpit to give her a naughty wink. He was blonde and ruggedly handsome, but even at the dizzy altitude the Beech aircraft had levelled off at, Gina’s feet remained planted firmly on the floor when she looked at him. Even when he had given her that first kiss, all those years ago when they were young teenagers together, she hadn’t felt the heady swooning she had hoped for. It wasn’t J.J.’s fault; after all, they had grown up together, and there was no magical mystery between them. No doubt, Gina thought smiling to herself, the earth hadn’t moved for J.J. either.

Suddenly, the twin-engine plane hit an air pocket for an alarming and thrilling moment; Gina felt her heart and stomach skyrocket toward the roof of the aircraft while the rest of her plunged like a stone from a very high cliff. Now that was the feeling she was looking for: an emotional and physical response to a man that would rock her to her toes. Perhaps it didn’t exist, though...she was beginning to wonder. J.J. gave the passengers a reassuring smile, telling them over the speaker that they had hit a small patch of turbulence. Turbulence was what Gina needed in her love life, she muttered to herself with a bit of a frown. She turned her head to look out of her small window and was soon lost in a study of the blue ocean far below.

Gina was going home, home to Lord Howe Island. It wasn’t until she had decided to spend her leave of absence there that she realized how she had missed it over this last year. Being the backpacking travel writer for a Sydney newspaper had taken her to fascinating places all over the world, but something was always missing from them. She compared every place to Lord Howe, and none of them ever offered the perfection of the tiny island paradise she had grown up on. She smiled ruefully as she considered that the exotic locations she had travelled to were rather like all the men in her life. Underneath the gloss and the initial excitement of discovery, her interest began to wane. Yes, it was true; she nodded thoughtfully to the ocean below; after the thrill wore off and reality set in, Gina was always left with the sinking realization that once again, her restless quest had been thwarted.

Sometimes Gina had to wonder if there was something wrong with her. She had been born with a wanderer’s nature. Lord Howe had been an ideal place for a child with an adventurous spirit. There was always something to explore, and though the island was tiny, it was constantly changing with the seasons and the weather. Even if she had been to a spot a thousand times, she always discovered something different there to surprise and delight her when she went again. Later though, she had become almost claustrophobic living on a piece of land only eleven kilometres long, and she had wanted nothing more than to leave the isolated island in search of the wide, expansive world. Gina had felt as though someone was keeping something from her, and she had to get away to try to find it. Even now, no matter how hard she looked, she still couldn’t discover that elusive something she wanted and needed so much. Her father, Nicko, had also been restless as a youth and had set out from Greece on his quest around the world until he had found Lord Howe Island.

Gina, he would roar at her when she had wanted to leave. Why you want to do that? I travel all over world, no place as good as this, everything you want is here. You not go. And, as far as he was concerned, that was the end of the subject. Even thinking about it now, Gina felt a surge of helpless anger. Nicko had never understood her. His ideas of what a girl should and could do were so limiting that she had felt like a bird in a cage. Nicko...he had loved her, but he had never understood her.

The sunlight streamed in through the window beside her, and Gina shut her eyes against the glare. She had been up since 5:00 am to catch the early morning flight out of Sydney. Now, she was sleepy and chilly in the artificially cooled air of the plane. She should have worn something warmer than a light summer dress. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts turning to her loudly complaining stomach that had not had anything to eat yet.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Gina woke to J.J.’s touch as he gently tapped her on the shoulder.

Would you like some orange juice and biscuits? he asked, smiling down at her with those cheeky blue eyes.

Gina stretched and sat up straight, pushing the wild curls that had fallen out of her ponytail away from her face. It was no use; as always, her hair did exactly as it pleased, and, with a groan of disgust, Gina pulled out the hair clip that had been holding the uncontrollable tresses and set them free to cascade down her shoulders.

Yes, Gina said, smiling back at J.J. I’d love some.

He handed her a plastic cup and the tray of sweet biscuits, asking her how she had been.

Fine, Gina said, gobbling down what was breakfast for her. I just got back from Greece. I was there on a working holiday to write a few stories about backpacking on the islands and to visit my father.

Gina reached for another biscuit, trying to appease her rumbling stomach that was begging for more. You know Nicko is living there now, don’t you? she asked J.J.

Yes, I heard. And how is the old devil anyway? J.J. asked affectionately, rolling his eyes with mock horror. J.J. had been one of the several boys on the island to incur Nicko’s overprotective wrath when he had attempted to romance Gina. Nicko needn’t have worried though, all the boys on Lord Howe were like brothers to Gina, and none of them had won her heart...or body.

Same as always, Gina laughed, her eyes dancing with glee. He refuses to come home. He wants to be buried on Lord Howe, next to Mum, but he says he can’t bear to live there without her. He’s happy though, sitting outside drinking coffees and ouzos with his old fishing friends, pounding his fists on the table and shouting about how everyone should be living their life.

Same old Nicko, J.J. laughed.

Yes. Gina smiled up at J.J. And how are you? I didn’t know you were working for Lord Howe Airline.

I couldn’t believe it when the copilot job came up, J.J. said enthusiastically. It’s perfect. I can live between Sydney and Lord Howe. You can’t wait to leave it, but when you’re away, you can’t wait to get back to it.

I know what you mean, Gina said, her curls bouncing with the rhythm of her nods.

The pilot gestured for J.J. to return to the cockpit. He glanced at the passenger in the seat across the tiny aisle from Gina.

If I leave some morning tea for that passenger, would you give it to him when he wakes up? J.J. asked.

Of course, Gina said, warmly patting J.J. His arm was tanned and flushed with a wave of sun-bleached body hair curling around the edge of his pilot watch. Gina felt as though her fingers should tingle at the feel of such a good-looking man, but they didn’t. It was so disappointing to want to feel a feeling that hardly ever came. It was bad enough to want, but to want to want was even worse. What was she searching for, she wondered for the ten-millionth time? She had everything a young woman her age could ask for, so what would it take to make her feel complete?

Gina twisted herself around to look at the passenger in the seat across the aisle from her. A man, probably in his early thirties, was crammed into the same amount of space that Gina barely had room to move in. One arm casually hung over the armrest; the other was thrown back behind him, cradling his head in his hand. A thick wave of glossy chestnut hair fell across his high forehead. Gina had only seen a few men asleep before, and she had never noticed how relaxed and how, well, how angelic they could look. This man’s face and body were positively serene. His lips, soft and inviting, were slightly parted into a hint of a smile. Gina was transfixed and moved by the gentleness in that smile. His eyelashes rested on high, sculpted cheekbones. His bronzed skin glowed with robust health, and the rough shadow of a beard told Gina he hadn’t had time to shave that morning. She was stricken with the urge to reach out and run her soft fingertips along the darkened edge of his chiselled jawline. He was beautiful, and just looking at him aroused in Gina a whisper of longing.

Slowly, her eyes slipped down his body. He was wearing a white t-shirt tucked into faded jeans. The way his clothes lovingly hugged his torso and legs left Gina in no doubt that he was exceptionally fit. The cotton material of his t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, and Gina caught her breath at the tantalizing hint of chest hair peeking out from the neckline. His long legs were bent sharply, and she noticed his muscled thighs were straining against the imprisonment of the tiny space in front of him. The arm that rested just in front of her was tanned and thinly veiled in silky, glistening brown hair. His large hand, with long powerful fingers, fell gracefully over the edge of the armrest, and Gina wondered for a moment if he had a tender touch. His arm tensed, and from total relaxation, became tightly coiled, like a rope twisted at both ends. Gina’s eyes wandered lazily back up to his face and, to her horror, saw that he was watching her out of one eye. She could feel the blood rush to her face as she wondered with alarm how long he had been watching her watching him. His other eye snapped open, and he searched her face with smouldering hazel eyes.

What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East...and Juliet is the sun, he said in a slow voice that slipped over the words like raw honey.

Gina’s dark aqua eyes widened in shock and surprise; she was entirely caught off guard. She only knew two men who could quote Shakespeare off the top of their heads: one was a supercilious and pretentious would-be actor; the other was a wimpy literature professor at university. This amazing man before her certainly did not fall into either of those categories. Not knowing what to say, Gina just stared back at him, her stomach fluttering wildly like a swarm of trapped butterflies. It was ridiculous to be so thoroughly flustered, and whereas just a short moment ago she had longed to feel something out of control for a man, now she was furious at herself for allowing her eyes and mind to wander in such a wanton manner at the sight of a stranger.

With a little gasp of surprise and dismay, Gina realized that the man’s face had changed completely. His peaceful features were at war now, and his face was wrenched into a haughty scowl. Whatever part of her that had been so intensely attracted to him recoiled at the sight of his cold sneer, and she instantly recognized the feeling of disappointment at finding he wasn’t what she had hoped for. Back on familiar territory, Gina tried to take command of the situation and gave him a polite but guarded smile.

I was wondering if you were awake, Gina said as blandly as possible, trying to cover the tremor of embarrassment in her voice. Would you like some morning tea? She hoped he wouldn’t be rude enough to ask why she had been, well, examining him like that.

I didn’t know there was a stewardess on this plane. There’s hardly enough room for the passengers, he groaned painfully as he shifted a long leg out into the narrow aisle.

I’m not a stewardess, Gina retorted. The copilot asked me to give you a refreshment when you woke up.

Ah. He looked down with disdain at the plastic cup half-filled with orange juice and the two biscuits she handed him. A feast fit for a king.

Stupidly, Gina continued to watch him, perplexed that the kindness she had seen in his sleeping face had vanished so completely.

The juice and biscuits were gone in an instant, and with a reluctant little smile, Gina turned back to stare out her window. She would have preferred to continue to examine the man; she wanted to unravel the puzzle of how a person’s expression could change so swiftly and dramatically. She jumped slightly as his hand reached across and lightly touched her arm, his fingers sliding along her skin for a moment. He was saying something in a low, husky voice, but she couldn’t hear him above the noise of the engines.

Thank you, he repeated as she turned toward him with a quizzical look on her face.

You’re welcome.

Sunlight streamed in from the window of her seat and lit up tiny flecks of gold in his hazel eyes. He was looking at her intently, and Gina’s eyes fell away from the disconcerting directness of his lean gaze. His warm hand tightened on her slightly chilled arm, indicating he wasn’t through talking to her yet.

I should have known you weren’t a stewardess, he said a little more loudly as she leaned over to hear him, and her eyes met his again.

Why is that? Gina demanded, annoyed at the implication in his voice that there was something wrong with being a stewardess.

Because your hair would never conform to the required standards. It would never fit into one of those tidy, over-coiffed styles neatly tucked into one of those chic little hair clips. The smile on his face was far more taunting than friendly.

Defensively, Gina pushed back the explosion of corkscrew curls that tumbled down to her breast. She detested her hair. She had done everything to try to tame it: straightened it, braided it, layered it, thinned it out, and even ironed it. Her parents had always refused to let her cut it. When she had finally moved away from Lord Howe to go to university, she had rushed to the nearest hairdresser and demanded a short hairstyle over the protests of the stylist. When she had